Fateful Shot
by I painted the kitten
Summary: (One shot fanfic) Two people shot in a bank robbery. One dies, one lives. What happens when Charlie and Don go see the victim? Told almost entirely from Charlie’s POV. Please R&R! (Rated PG for no apparent reason.)


Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Numb3rs. The characters, the story, etc. I do wish I owned Charlie though. I'd be a happy girl…

Spoilers: None.

Notes: (One shot fanfic) Two people shot in a bank robbery. One dies, one lives. What happens when Charlie and Don go see the victim? Told almost entirely from Charlie's POV. Please RR! (I'm having a bit of trouble keeping it in the same person. Writing in 1st person isn't easy! Please excuse the mistakes.)

**Fateful Shot**

_When a person is scared, they do things they didn't intend to. When FBI agents surrounded a certain criminal, his finger graced the trigger of his gun not once, but twice. The first shot rang out to the west, followed by the thud of a body on pavement. The second shot came about a minute after the first. Another body began to fall from the southern aimed shot. Another shot was heard before the body fell. The criminal fell to the ground only seconds after his first victim. The agents ran out, checking the criminal first. A male in his thirties lay on the ground, eyes staring blankly into the sky, blood forming a puddle beneath him. His life was spent. They moved next to the first shot victim, a male in his forties. An unintentional perfectly placed shot to the head had taken his life. The other victim cried out in pain before they could tend to her. Paramedics rushed to the scene, taking the second victim, an attractive female in her thirties, to the hospital. They had called her lucky, receiving only a shot to the stomach. She was lucky even still in that she would live. _

Hospitals always make me uncomfortable. I always feel so out of place, like you can't belong unless you're hurt. Physically, I mean. I'd be much easier if mentally wounded people fit there too. I also don't like them because I hate seeing people in pain. It makes me feel so guilty. Somehow I can feel guilty for the pain of a person I don't know.

As much as I dislike being in hospitals, I found myself walking down the hallway of LA Medical with my brother, Don. We wanted…actually, Don wanted to see this girl who was shot at a bank robbery a few days ago. It was a case he was covering and I think he wanted to make sure she was okay. I was at the robbery and I'll admit I've been a little worried about her. Don is convinced I came along because she's cute, but that's not why. She was cute though.

She looked different than I remember. Mind you, last time I saw her, her stomach was bleeding like crazy and I wasn't right next to her. But now that I am, she's a lot prettier than I thought. She had a very elegant face, soft and clean. Her eyes were closed when we entered.

"I think she's asleep Char. We'll have to come back," Don said, standing in the doorway.

"No need for that. I'm plenty awake," she said, eyes still closed. "The lights in here hurt my eyes. But I'm awake."

Don smiled. "Okay, then we'll stay. Lena, right? Lena Carnnel?"

"That's me. You are? I heard two sets of footsteps."

"I'm Agent Don Epps. This is my brother Charlie." He nudged me, but I didn't want to speak. Quiet is usually the best way for me to go.

"I think I remember you Agent Epps. You were one of the first people to help me, I think. I didn't catch any names though, so Charlie doesn't seem familiar." She cracked open her eyelids, revealing green-gray optics. She stared at me only a minute, quickly recognizing me. "Oh, yes, you. Charlie's your name? I remember your face." Seeming satisfied, she shut her eyes again and leaned against the pillow. How'd she remember me? I only saw her for a few minutes.

"We just wanted to come by and see if you were okay. How's everything healing up?" Don asked, looking at her stomach. Sometimes I really envy my brother, at how smooth he can be, around girls especially. There isn't a type of math that explains how to be suave with a woman.

"Eh. Not too bad, I guess. No infections or anything, if that's what you mean." She smiled. Her eyes had a strange way of squinting when she smiled. Stranger yet, it still happened when her eyes were closed. Strange, but cute.

"That's really good to hear. Everyone was really worried, but-" Don looked down at his ringing pager. When did Don get a pager? I thought he just had cell phones. I'll have to ask him. "So sorry, but I think we have to leave." He turned to me. "Char, something big came up on the case. We have to get back to the office." I think I may have to actually speak. I wasn't entirely planning to leave yet.

"Uhh….Don? Do they need me to go? I'd like to stay here with Lena for a little longer, if that's okay." I swear I just saw her smile again. Maybe I imagined it. My peripheral vision isn't great, but I know I saw that.

"No, I don't think they will. It's cool if you stay. But would you come to the office when you leave? Just to check on everything, you know," Don said, winking at me. Can Don wink? This visit is revealing a lot about Don. Odd.

"Thanks," I said, watching Don walk out the door. I looked at Lena. "You don't mind if I stay, do you?" I asked. Please say no. Please.

"No, not a problem. I like the company." Yes! I made a mental note to thank Don when I got to the office.

"Okay, good." Silence filled the room for a few minutes. Was silence good or bad? I didn't really know in this case. I ended up talking first. "Sorry about you getting shot. I wish I could have stopped it. I feel like I could have."

"Don't worry about it. I believe in fate and I think fate brought me here. Of course it did. What else would have?" She smiled again. Damn, she smiled a lot. Not that I mind. "What could you have done anyway? Do you work for the FBI?"

I was hoping she'd ask that. I guess I want to show off my talents a little. "Sort of. Not really. It's all part time work. I'm kind of a consultant." She nodded, obviously expecting to hear more. I enjoyed explaining everything to her. She was a great listener, knowing when to keep quiet and nod and when to speak. The talk about the FBI led to a talk about math. From math, the topic covered anything you could think of and before we knew it, two hours had gone by.

"It's been two hours? Wow. I need to call Don. I hope he isn't worried," I said, not really worried about Don. I wanted to stay and talk, but I knew I should probably leave her.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. You can leave. I don't mind," she said, finally opening her eyes all the way. I didn't want to leave but she could see I needed to and was letting me leave.

"Okay. It was really great talking to you Lena."

"Ditto. I'll see you soon, I hope?" She gave me a look that made my knees buckle. What other choice did I have? I think I may have fallen in something with her. Maybe it's not love, but something like it.

"Of course. I'll be back." Who would have thought I'd be taking a line from the Terminator? I guess anything can happen.

"Good. I'll look forward to it." She gave me a different look, one that told me I could finally leave. I was in the doorway when she spoke again. "I do think it was fate that I was shot. If I wasn't, I never would have met you."

Yes, I guess it was fate. Ah, fate was sweet.

**Authors Note: Wow! Everyone has been so great about reviewing this story and giving me feedback. I was planning on this being just a one shot, but due to the great response, I'll try to write more chapters. Thanks for your great support!**

**-Shelby**


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